1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for interactive distribution of leaflets using the Internet and, more particularly, to an electronic leaflet distribution/browsing method and an electronic leaflet system which enable one who wants a leaflet to be sent to sequentially browse leaflets of attending-school or correspondence-class chairs and lecture meetings held by such educational organizations as universities, preparatory schools and private schools on a PC of the one who wants leaflets to be sent through the Internet in descending order of suitability for his or her ability, budget, schedule, etc., thereby enabling the leaflet (electronic leaflet) most suitable for the one who wants sending of leaflets to be obtained in much shorter time, with much less labor and much less costs and to much higher search precision by making the most of interactivity characteristic of the Internet and web browser (browsing software) than by a conventional process of watching and selecting printed leaflets using paper media.
2. Description of the Related Art
When one wants to attend an attending-school or correspondence-class chair (curriculum) or lecture meeting held by such an educational organization as a university, a preparatory school and a private school, it is a common practice to pick out and select an appropriate one of educational organizations such as universities, preparatory schools and private schools listed on a directory (town page) and then make a leaflet (print) be sent from the selected educational organization in question such as a university, a preparatory school or a private school on which leaflet the description about a desired chair (curriculum) or lecture meeting (more specifically, the contents of chair (curriculum), term, lecturer in charge, place, fee, the degree of difficulty, etc.) is listed.
From a point of view of educational organizations such as universities, preparatory schools and private schools, such a process of printing leaflets (prints) on paper to bind a book and sending the bound leaflets to those who want them by door-to-door delivery service or by mail needs to be reduced in terms of costs and labor required.
On the other hand, from a point of view of those who want leaflets to be sent, such work of calling an educational organization from which a leaflet needs to be sent and asking for sending of a leaflet by word of mouth (through telephone), or sending facsimile or a post card to an educational organization from which a leaflet needs to be sent and asking for sending of a leaflet by writing is a great burden on time, cost and labor necessary for asking for sending. In particular, for those who want leaflets to be sent, it is a great burden to find a plurality of educational organizations and individually ask them for sending.
In other words, those who want leaflets to be sent look through various kinds of paper media (prints) to search for necessary education. In addition, since many of educational programs require students to go to places where they are held, constraints on time exist.
As one way of solving such problems, techniques for delivering leaflets through the Internet have become increasingly popular in recent years.
One who is looking for a leaflet first accesses a portal site registered on the Internet through web browser (browsing software) running on a PC (Personal Computer) connected to the Internet to search for a web site which provides desired educational service.
At this time, since enormous volume of search results (i.e. indexes of enormous number of educational organizations as candidates) are ordinarily displayed, one who wants a leaflet to be sent again makes a search by trying with appropriate keywords by himself or herself to narrow down the number of search candidates. Subsequently, he or she moves to a web site presented by the educational organization in question searched by narrowing down the number to designate various kinds of selection items set using an icon (pictorial symbol) or the like in the web site in question, thereby reading (obtaining) a desired leaflet. At this time, he or she downloads the data of the read leaflet in question (read of information) to have hard-copy of the data by using a printer or the like or preserve the same as electronic data in his or her own PC.
However, contents of a desired leaflet that can be read (obtained) by moving to a web site presented by narrowed-down educational organization for search and designating various kinds of selection items set using an icon (pictorial symbol) in the web site in question are of the same level in many cases as those of printed leaflets and a process of selecting attending-school or correspondence-class chairs (curricula) or lecture meetings held by such educational organizations as universities, preparatory schools and private schools which is executed by one who wants a leaflet to be sent is not at all different from that of obtaining printed leaflets.
Under these circumstances, the work by one who wants sending of a leaflet to sequentially select a leaflet most suitable for his or her own ability, budget, schedule, etc. among attending-school or correspondence-class chairs and lecture meetings held by such educational organizations as universities, preparatory schools and private schools on his or her own PC is done through ask-oneself and answer-oneself procedures while watching leaflets on the PC one-sidedly without making so many questions to a party to which a request for a leaflet is made. As a result, even with the Internet or web browser (browsing software), the selection process is not so different from a conventional process of selecting printed leaflets using paper media while watching them and fails to make the most of interactivity characteristic of the Internet and web browser (browsing software).